Help with part picking for new build!

[shand12]

Hey guys, I'm new to this forum and this will be my first build. I was wondering if you could take a quick look at the parts I have picked so far! I'm trying for a blue/black/silver colour scheme, but will sacrifice aesthetics for better parts! I'll be using this build for gaming and general use. I already have a monitor, but if you can suggest some good keyboards and mice that would be greatly appreciated! Also, is it better to get 2 4gb sticks of Ram or 1 8gb stick?

Here's the build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ NCIX)
CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC14PE_BL 60.1 CFM CPU Cooler ($99.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V PRO ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($196.65 @ TigerDirect Canada)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (1 x 8GB ) DDR3-1600 Memory ($63.82 @ NCIX)
Hard Drive: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($109.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Hard Drive: Intel 520 Series Cherryville 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($179.99 @ Memory Express)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($404.04 @ DirectCanada)
Case: Fractal Design Define XL Titanium Grey ATX Full Tower Case ($139.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Power Supply: Corsair 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($144.99 @ NCIX)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($20.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Total: $1590.44

I appreciate any help/feedback! Thanks guys!

 

[jamesriley94]

Looks pretty good yeh.
1)You need 2x4gb to benefit from dual channel memory.

2)Any reason why that motherboard?

3) 750w is overkill. Not sure how prices compare but get an AX650 if you can, that will still be enough and is nicer and modular

4) Get a western digital caviar green over the Samsung. If you have an SSD you dont need the 7200rpm speeds of the samsung and so it will just be louder and more unreliable, as well as mre power consuming.

 

[| raVen |]

What the max that you can spend?

 

[shand12]

Looks pretty good yeh.
1)You need 2x4gb to benefit from dual channel memory.

2)Any reason why that motherboard?

3) 750w is overkill. Not sure how prices compare but get an AX650 if you can, that will still be enough and is nicer and modular

4) Get a western digital caviar green over the Samsung. If you have an SSD you dont need the 7200rpm speeds of the samsung and so it will just be louder and more unreliable, as well as mre power consuming.

So I switched to the 2x4gb Ram, the western digital hdd, and to the AX650. There isn't any particular reason why I picked the motherboard. The reviews seem to be good; is there one that you think would be better?

 

[shand12]

What the max that you can spend?

I'm looking to keep it under $1600 Canadian. I was looking at the price history on pcpartpicker.com and the build dropped down to around $1400 for the week of June 7th, so hopefully I can luck into getting a few deals. Also, I should add that I'm not looking to buy right away, I want to see what options are best and like I said before, hopefully get some deals.

 

[jamesriley94]

I personally have the P8Z77 Deluxe and I think it's a great board.

But, I do feel you're kind of paying for the name a bit. The MSI Z77 boards are meant to be the best boards for overclocking, and you can get one for 2/3s the price. Only difference is they lack wifi, which you shouldnt really be using on a desktop anyway. But in terms of features other than the wifi, there's nothing else on the ASUS that you dont get on the cheaper MSI, gigabyte and Asrock boards IMO.

 

[shand12]

I personally have the P8Z77 Deluxe and I think it's a great board.

But, I do feel you're kind of paying for the name a bit. The MSI Z77 boards are meant to be the best boards for overclocking, and you can get one for 2/3s the price. Only difference is they lack wifi, which you shouldnt really be using on a desktop anyway. But in terms of features other than the wifi, there's nothing else on the ASUS that you dont get on the cheaper MSI, gigabyte and Asrock boards IMO.

Now that you mention it, I can definitely get a better priced motherboard! I'll check out the brands and see what I think is good and then let you guys help! Thanks for the quick replies guys, really appreciate all the help!

 

[jamesriley94]

No problem! I dont exactly want to massively deter you off ASUS, as I cant say 1 bad thing about my motherboard, just maybe look around at others, and still bear it in mind

 

[| raVen |]

Why are you not buying everything from one retailer?I always buy everything(at least 80% of build form one retailer to save money on shipping.
Will you consider water cooling in near future?Are you gonna be adding second card in year time?
At the lastAre you sure about Define XL?

 

[shand12]

No problem! I dont exactly want to massively deter you off ASUS, as I cant say 1 bad thing about my motherboard, just maybe look around at others, and still bear it in mind

You aren't pushing me away from the Asus, just making me spend wisely .
So I have spent a little bit looking at these motherboards, what do you guys think?

http://pcpartpicker.com/ca/part/msi-motherboard-z77agd55
http://pcpartpicker.com/ca/part/asrock-motherboard-z77extreme4
http://pcpartpicker.com/ca/part/asus-motherboard-p8z77vlk
http://pcpartpicker.com/ca/part/gigabyte-motherboard-gaz77xd3h

What do you think?

Why are you not buying everything from one retailer?I always buy everything(at least 80% of build form one retailer to save money on shipping.
Will you consider water cooling in near future?Are you gonna be adding second card in year time?
At the lastAre you sure about Define XL?

I just have it set for the cheapest prices, I plan on purchasing from the same retailer as much as I can! I'm not sure about water cooling yet and I don't know about a second card yet either I'll see if I need another one after I build it and give it some testing! Also, I figured that the XL will have plenty of space for the Phanteks and for any other expansions I may plan on!

 

[| raVen |]

What you think about Bitfenix Shinobi XL?

 

[S_I_N]

Looks pretty good yeh.
1)You need 2x4gb to benefit from dual channel memory.

agree

3) 750w is overkill. Not sure how prices compare but get an AX650 if you can, that will still be enough and is nicer and modular

750watt is not overkill for this rig yes the 650 would be enough but 750 allows for expansion later without having to add a psu to the upgrade
overkill would be putting a AX1200 or even a HX1050 unless it was speced for future upgrades

4) Get a western digital caviar green over the Samsung. If you have an SSD you dont need the 7200rpm speeds of the samsung and so it will just be louder and more unreliable, as well as more power consuming.

nothing wrong with a 7200rmp drive they are not any louder than 5400rpms and the F3's have a great following and lmfao there isnt that much power draw difference between the 2

and saying if you have an ssd you dont this or that is rubbish mate. Unless you know exactly how they plan on using the hdd i would never say that. if they plan on ssd for opsys only then 7200rmp drive for apps and games imho is a must for a tad quicker load times. if its just to store your music on then yeah 5400rmp should suffice. please stop and think before you offer advice this isnt the first time

shand12 I think your original specs were decent with the exception of the correction to your memory you want dual channel

 

[jamesriley94]

agree


750watt is not overkill for this rig yes the 650 would be enough but 750 allows for expansion later without having to add a psu to the upgrade
overkill would be putting a AX1200 or even a HX1050 unless it was speced for future upgrades


nothing wrong with a 7200rmp drive they are not any louder than 5400rpms and the F3's have a great following and lmfao there isnt that much power draw difference between the 2

and saying if you have an ssd you dont this or that is rubbish mate. Unless you know exactly how they plan on using the hdd i would never say that. if they plan on ssd for opsys only then 7200rmp drive for apps and games imho is a must for a tad quicker load times. if its just to store your music on then yeah 5400rmp should suffice. please stop and think before you offer advice this isnt the first time

I dont really agree with that. For the PSU, if he is considering a second card and/or watercooling, then to be safe I'd be saying more than 750 as 750 would be pushing it. If he is considering those upgrades then I'd be saying get an 850 maybe, if not, dropping to a 650 would be what I'd be wanting to do.

Also from my experience from the F3s, all 4 I've had failed within a year so I'm kind of ignoring the 'following' of it. I did also find mine loud, whereas the WD Green I've just built a mates PC with was silent.

The advice I've given for this is mainly on experiences I've had myself so it isnt really a case of 'stopping and thinking'.

 

[| raVen |]

For future upgrades he should take 850.

 

[Master&Puppet]

Well it is a good build but I think you are spending more money than you need to in certain places. So I'll try and give you some options to consider, take them or leave them as you want!

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ NCIX)

Perfect CPU for this use. You could also use a 2500k too for a single card set up but IB overall is slightly better.

CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC14PE_BL 60.1 CFM CPU Cooler ($99.99 @ Newegg Canada)

For an Ivy Bridge build with a decent overclock (~4.5GHz) I'd recommend a BeQuiet Shadow Rock cooler. Until you hit the clock where you need to seriously add volts Ivy runs cooler than Sandy so you actually need less cooling... This cooler is much cheaper but not blue (still silver though!).

Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V PRO ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($196.65 @ TigerDirect Canada)

The z77 mobos are all very good. For regular overclockers you literally won't be able to tell the difference (MSI may hold the record but who cares since we won't clock above 5GHz and they'll all do that). Performance wise MSI's boards are noticably more power efficient than the others (and blue to boot) but as I say - there isn't much difference between the z77 boards. I've got the MSI GD55 and it is perfect for this kind of build.

Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (1 x 8GB ) DDR3-1600 Memory ($63.82 @ NCIX)

As already mentioned get 2x4gb sticks. Since you are getting a large air cooler I'd suggest the LP version (low profile).

Hard Drive: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($109.99 @ Newegg Canada)

Agree with S_I_N here on HDD RPMs. If there isn't enough space for all the programs on the 120gb SSD then get a 7200 drive to make it a little more snappy. Otherwise get a 5400 "green" drive. No noticeable difference in performance but saves money on the electricity bill. Western Digital Caviar Black/Green or Seagate Barracuda/Barracude Green are both recommendable.

Hard Drive: Intel 520 Series Cherryville 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($179.99 @ Memory Express)

Whilst the 520 series is a top pick SSD and a great choice it also comes with a hefty price tag. Whilst I'd definitely suggest getting an SSD (120gb is a good size for most users) because the difference in speed between a fast HDD and SSD is very noticeable (3.5-10 times depending on whether the read is sequential or burst), the difference between a slow latest gen SATA 3 SSD and the 520 is really not going to be noticeable. Mushkin Chronos, OCZ agility 3s, Corsair Force GTs and others will all give the speed boost with out the price tag. Reliability wise the Sandforce controller issue has all but been solved by firmware updates (check out the site from which ever manufacturer to get the latest). I have the Mushkin Chronos and haven't had a single issue.

Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($404.04 @ DirectCanada)

670s are an excellent choice. I'm guessing this is the windforce version? It would run cooler and therefore quieter (not that the reference 670s are loud anyway!).

Power Supply: Corsair 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($144.99 @ NCIX)

For this build 650 would be enough. 850 leaves expansion room for a typical 2 card set up. Custom watercooling will usually need more but that's not what we are talking about. AX is great but TX will be fine for most users (semi-modular so there aren't many cables just lying about!).

M&P

 

[jamesriley94]

Whilst the 520 series is a top pick SSD and a great choice it also comes with a hefty price tag. Whilst I'd definitely suggest getting an SSD (120gb is a good size for most users) because the difference in speed between a fast HDD and SSD is very noticeable (3.5-10 times depending on whether the read is sequential or burst), the difference between a slow latest gen SATA 3 SSD and the 520 is really not going to be noticeable. Mushkin Chronos, OCZ agility 3s, Corsair Force GTs and others will all give the speed boost with out the price tag. Reliability wise the Sandforce controller issue has all but been solved by firmware updates (check out the site from which ever manufacturer to get the latest). I have the Mushkin Chronos and haven't had a single issue.

did you just recommend an OCZ SSD to someone? I completely agree with not getting the Intel one, but the OCZ drives are doomed to fail, regardless of firmware updates. The other 2 seem pretty reliable so they are a good choice along with the Crucial M4s on he Marvell controller, which are also some of the most reliable drives out there

 

[Master&Puppet]

did you just recommend an OCZ SSD to someone? I completely agree with not getting the Intel one, but the OCZ drives are doomed to fail, regardless of firmware updates. The other 2 seem pretty reliable so they are a good choice along with the Crucial M4s on he Marvell controller, which are also some of the most reliable drives out there

I'm pretty sure that was a reputation gained during the BSOD outbreak last year on the SF controller which affected all drives that used it (notably including the Mushkin chronos too). I thought that OCZ helped to fix the issue on the SF controller and the firmware updates have seen an end to it. The Chronos is using a slightly newer SF controller version than the agility but I don't think that actually makes much difference.

OCZ have got a bit of a bad rep on these forums and I think some of it is a hang over from times that have passed. But sure get something else if it seems risky!

 

[jamesriley94]

It's not due to firmware or bad rep, its because they do actually break. he components in them are very cheap and so the drives are very unreliable, even if the SF controller works perfectly fine.

 

[Master&Puppet]

Yea but the only returns data I've seen out is for the vertex and agility 2s. Agility 3s specifically don't seem to be any worse than the other maintstream SSD brands. Intel are still probably the best but we are talking about a tiny % here. Still, OCZ is more of a risk given that they are the same price as the Chronos, no doubt about it.

 

[jamesriley94]

suppose. I did have the Agility 3 though, and that broke after 2 months